I'm really sorry but.....

I am sooo excited after months of begging and ultimatums, I finally managed to get Shaun to order me a new computer. It is in the mail and should arrive sometime next week!!! Our current computer is almost 8 years old and most days I just want to throw it over a cliff. It has absolutely no memory left and most likely a virus or two that makes it painstakingly slow. It takes me hours to do what should only take minutes. And is subject to freezing up at any given moment. So I have to apologize to all my fellow bloggers, and also do a little repenting. Because my computer usually freezes up whenever I open more than one window, I have hardly been able to look at other peoples blogs let alone comment. So I make a promise from the minute I get my new computer to be better about leaving comments.

Mt. Timpanogos and Playing Photographer

My sister Nancy and her family came to stay for the weekend. My girls were so excited when they heard they were coming that they immediately set to work making a countdown calendar and making a homemade treasure hunt for Hayden and Hannah. We had lots of fun when they did FINALLY get here. On the first night we had a BBQ and made smores. The next morning we got up early to hike up to the Timpanogos caves. We were all a little worried about the weather, but we discovered that hiking in the rain was much more pleasant than hiking in the hot 90 degree weather that we did it in last year. The kids all made it with hardly a complaint. We also went to see the copper mines. I have always wanted to see them, and I must say it was a pretty amazing sight.

View from the trail. Sorry this picture is so small, I had to steal it from my sisters blog and this is how big it ended up.

Playing Photographer

One of my hobbies is taking photos, and I love it when anyone lets me practice on them. I got to practice on my niece and nephew when they were here this weekend. I think they turned out cute. Thanks in big part to Photo Shop, and the cute kids posing for the pictures. Sorry I posted so many this was the easiest way I could think of to show Nancy the pictures.

Hayden and Hannah

Here is a candid one that I had a little bit of fun editing.

Hayden

Hannah

Feeling like a good mom...then again.

I think as moms we should take time to congratulate ourselves when we do something great. I think about 10% of the time I feel like a pretty good mom and then the other 90% percent of the time I find myself yelling at crying kids, "You had better get your room clean or else...."

Feeling like a good mom...

My friend and I put together an art camp for some of the kids in our neighborhood. Five moms each take a week hosting art camp for the 10 of our kids that are around the same age. It was my turn this week. I spent the whole morning coloring rice and beans with food coloring for their bean pictures. The kids had allot of fun making their bean pictures as well as painting their bowls and fruit that they had sculpted a couple days earlier. Needless to say my kitchen was a disaster area by the end of art camp. It took me over an hour to clean up the mess after they were gone, and I am still sweeping up bits of colored rice and beans two days later. But as I was cleaning, I have to say I was feeling like a pretty good mom.

Kaylee, Maddy, and Taylee finishing up their bean pictures. Doesn't that mess look fun. You should have seen the rest of my kitchen.

The 10 artists posing with their artwork.


Close up of my two little artist work.

And then again...
It seems you can only spend a few moments congratulating yourself on being a good mom before something happens that takes you right down to earth and makes you realize you have a long way to go.
I had left Sydnie in her crib even though I knew she was awake, for probably almost an hour. After all she wasn't crying and I needed just a few more minutes to scrub the toilets (she always likes to help) I started feeling guilty, and decided I better check on her. I knew I was in trouble when I opened the door and smelled a poopy diaper and saw my little girl naked in her crib. She had managed to strip of all of her clothes including her diaper. In her boredom, she had decided to play with the poop and had it everywhere, her hands her feet, her crib and of course all over the bedding. Needless to say, all the time I had thought I was saving myself by leaving her in the crib was soon wasted by cleaning up the mess.
Other not so good mom moments:
I let my kids eat cold cereal for lunch all the time, sometimes even for dinner.
I've been known to let my kids watch t.v for over an hour just so I can have some me time, (like right now as I am writing this blog.)
I get mad at them all the time for spilling things or making messes, even though I spill and make messes all the time (although in my defense I am the one who has to clean it up)

Spring Soccer

We just finished up another season of soccer. It was a little crazy this year because their games were at different fields and overlapped several times. Both Kaylee and Brianne are becoming quite the soccer players. Kaylee tried out for an all girls competitive team and made it! She starts playing for that team this fall. She has been busy training for it by running three times a week with me. She is quite the little runner and is almost up to a full two miles without stopping. Brianne has shown amazing improvement. She is not afraid to get right in there and get that ball. On her very last game of the season she scored 3 goals!!! Bringing her grand total to 6 goals for the season.

Brianne and Kaylee suited up and ready for their games.

Brianne running to catch up to the ball. Brianne is the one with all the hair.

Kaylee kicking the ball around during warm-ups.

Memorial Weekend

I kept forgetting my camera but I did manage to get one picture of what my kids were up to this weekend. Kaylee and Brianne decided to start a new business. Roly Polys love our rocks and they found a bunch of them. Then Kaylee had the idea to sell them so she made a sign and Brianne prepared plastic bags by punching holes in them so people could take them home and they could still breath. Unfortunately no one was in the market for roly polys this weekend. So Kaylee finally gave up and decided that maybe she would try selling lemonade next time.

This was the sign posted on my door. We still have several roly polys left if anyone would like to buy one. We ship.

Here is the make shift roly poly home. As you can see there are several good ones left.

As for the rest of our weekend we had lots of fun, just no pictures. On Friday night we went swimming with our friends the Moultons. Sydnie was a little nervous of the water at first. I think she was having ocean flashbacks. But she soon settled in and had allot of fun. On Saturday we went with our friends the Brays to Liberty Land, it is a small amusement park, that has a few small amusement rides, a roller coaster, bumper boats, and go karts. It was fun, but some of the rides were broken. I was going to complain, but they seem to be struggling to stay in business and I would really like them to make it, because its a much cheaper alternative to Lagoon and they have rides that suit my kids age. Monday we hosted a barbecue for a few of our good friends. Shaun made his now famous ribs, and the kids had lots of fun playing with friends and roasting marshmallows and making smores. Usually we travel over memorial weekend, it was nice just to stay home for this one.

Preschool Graduation

This last Wednesday was Brianne's preschool graduation. They had cap and gowns and the whole bit. They each had a speaking line, a song, and a book they read for the parents. I was so proud of Brianne she actually did all three of them! Anyone who knows Brianne, knows this was quite an accomplishment. We have really liked this preschool, a bit pricey but most of the kids come out knowing how to read.
Brianne is a smart little girl, her teacher filled out a little paper entitled, "My Favorites". Here are some of the cuter answers:

Animal: Fishy

Vacation: Florida (Our family vaction must have been a hit!)

Movie: Sleeping Beauty (has she even seen this show??? Not at our house, she must have just borrowed an answer from one of the other little girls)

Food: Yams (Way to go Brianne! I love that she picked something healthy it makes me look like a good mom. Actually she is a candy monster and could eat a whole bag if I would let her.)

When I grow up I want to be: A cooker

Dessert: Cake (I had to scratch my head at this one, I think she means she likes to make cake, I let her and Kaylee make it by themselves sometimes. But she never wants to eat the finished product.

Something special about me: I am a good reader, and one of the only ones in my class to learn all 50 of the preschool sight words!

Brianne saying her line: "Could every one stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Brianne singing her song. She even sang loud enough so everyone could hear her.

Recital 2009!

I can't tell you how excited I was to get my dance recital over with. This was the last on a long list of big events I have had in the last month and I can finally have a little free time to catch up on my to do list for my house and yard. Things went fairly smoothly, and my both of my classes did great on their dances. I was so proud of all of them. It has been so fun teaching them this year.

Me and my two favorite dancers in my classes, after the recital.

Kaylee and Brianne posing in their costumes before the recital

My 7-9 year old class, what a cute group of girls especially the one on the end.

Kaylee did a tap number to Cotton Eyed Joe, a jazz number to S.O.S and a ballet number to Let Them be Little.


My 4-6 year old class, they looked so sweet in their polka dot costumes.

Brianne did a tap number to Gummi Bear, a jazz number to Crazy Frog's Axel F, and a ballet number to Let Them be little.